Time inched closer to long awaited moments and few days prior to the flight my healthcare provider done an overall assessment to affirm the final go-ahead…
She said as a benchmark, ideally a one hour flight is perfectly fine and going up to 3 hours is okay. Beyond 3 hours is not an option. It’s not about daring a leap while hoping for the best & being positive. You also have to be realistic and analyze the situation accordingly.
Having حسن الظن بالله (good thoughts and expectations in Allah) is in full place and we are doing that now alongside a set of protocols.
The problem steps in when people throw the be positive line in everywhere but according to psychologists you get toxic positivity and this too can be categorized as a toxic line easily thrown at someone’s face because life doesn’t just play out according to one enforced mantra. Indisputable changes occur in the autonomic nervous system while altitude bound, and by evaluation your lungs will most likely not manage that height of pressure well.
Being in a foreign country without the assistance of a competent Dr doesn’t sound like a very wise idea because we don’t know how your body will react in such circumstances / what can transpire on-flight / after landing / anytime during the journey.
If you require a Drs assistance and they don’t know what to do in your case / you aren’t able to communicate as required because of language barriers with medical lingo, it will become a problem. So knowing or having a professional in the country whom you can contact is highly recommended if the need arises. An emergency plan is essential.
Indeed Allah is with us. Reaffirm this conviction but also keep in mind there’s an entire set of intricacies enmeshed into traversing a foreign country. In your case, appropriate backup has to also be layed out as a solid plan of action. You don’t want to dive in the dark and then Allah forbid, be stranded without contact in the place of travel.
Before she expounded on the aforesaid points, although my heart is entirely in the Haramain Shareefain, it also felt unsettled and somewhat perturbed at the mention of rushing into an 8 hour flight. I couldn’t pinpoint what made me feel uncertain but intuition told me now is not the time and I knew it would be best to follow an inner voice…
Give yourself time…
What’s destined for you will eventually be and you’ll reach the places you’re meant to see
She then set a few guidelines for my lungs to be less blood-fluid filled on the flight day:
One
Chest percussions on a daily basis earlier in the day so my sleep is not hindered at night when the fluid is released with coughing
Two
Nebulize with a mucolyptic solution prescribed / saline solution, or
Three
Steam so old fluid doesn’t collect continously for prolonged periods at the lung base because it can become a breeding ground for infection. (Excess moisture in the lungs can make them an easy target for infection so steaming is followed by rules. Don’t do anything out of your own unless you’re advised)
Four
Take it slow on the days my chest is heavier when more blood has built up so we don’t have an overload of bleeds and the blood that fills continues at a slow incoming pace
Five
Pure cotton compression hoisery aren’t available so she advised me to use a bandage then wrap a thin cotton piece of material over to hold the bandage in place. First elevate the legs for 10 minutes so blood circulates upwards then tie it from the ankles until before the knee. That will suffice. Don’t tie it stiff where all your veins pop out but at the same time not too loose where it doesn’t act like a compression.
An additional piece of advice is to have your luggage packed and ready preferably two days before the flight so you don’t end up doing strenuous activity the day before – which can lead to post-exertional malaise or chest pressure like the crazy me who didn’t follow orders properly by resting enough.
Instead, I scurried around to search for one last gift. Returned home and showered after a rushed trip to the mall, then experienced a Prinzmetals Angina attack early morning because I pushed for too much in one day and it was a strain on the heart but alhamdulillah the attack resolved quickly with medication…
I retired to bed later and mused over the significant moments of change we had finally reached after three years…
Once the blanket of night folded over I place my head on a pillow
Adrenaline coursing through my veins with excitement for tomorrow
When the crack of dawn makes a promise come true
And the horizon heralds light to chapters entirely new
All trails of ink imprinted in the journals of this journey
Form a testament to manifold ease after difficulty
My heart bursts at seeing the blessings of holding on during hardship
Here I leap out of my fimiliar zone towards a memorable trip
When dreams miraculously formed outstretched wings so I may fly
British airways 6235 lifted off the terrain into a deep blue sky
Swimming Through The Waves 